What Is Vitamin D Deficiency?

A vitamin D deficiency is a condition in which you don't have sufficient vitamins in your body. You need vitamin D for proper growth and development of your bones. You may be at risk for deficiency if you do not get enough sunlight on your skin, if you have a disorder that decreases the body's ability to absorb it, or if you simply do not consume enough of it in your diet.

Also known as the sunshine vitamin, your body manufactures it when your skin is exposed to sunlight. However, vitamin D is found in a limited number of foods: some types of fish, fish liver oils, egg yolks, fortified dairy products, and orange juice.

Why Is Vitamin D Important?

You need vitamin D to build bones and keep them strong. Vitamin D will strengthen bones by facilitating the body to absorb and use calcium, magnesium, and phosphate that your body gets from food. It helps maintain the balance of calcium within your bones and blood. When you don't take enough vitamin D, the calcium goes down. The body needs to bring this calcium from bones into your blood to balance out your levels. Vitamin D also affects your nervous system, immune system, and muscles.

Who gets vitamin D deficiency?

Any individual may have a vitamin D deficiency from infancy to adulthood, also in children.

People with higher skin melanin (people with darker skin) and those who wear clothing that covers large portions of their bodies, especially in the Middle East countries, may be more likely to have a vitamin D deficiency.

What are the symptoms of vitamin D deficiency?

Extreme deficiency in vitamin D causes rickets in children. Symptoms of rickets include:

Imbalanced growth patterns because of bowed or bent bones.
Muscle weakness.
Bone pain.
Deformities in joints.

This occurs very rarely. Children with a mild vitamin deficiency will just have weak, sore and/or painful muscles.

Vitamin D deficiency is not very apparent in adults. Symptoms may include:

Fatigue.
Bone pain.
Muscle weakness, muscle aches or muscle cramps.
Mood changes, like depression.

However, it is possible that you may have no symptoms and signs at all and you are suffering from a vitamin D deficiency.

What causes vitamin D deficiency?

In summary, the two primary causes of deficiency are:

You are not receiving sufficient vitamin D from your diet and/or from the manufacture in your sun-exposed skin.
Your body can't absorb or use vitamin D properly.

There are several specific causes of vitamin D deficiency. These include:

Some medical conditions.
Weight loss-surgeries.
Some drugs.

Several other biological and environmental factors also predispose you to vitamin D deficiency, including age and melanin (pigment) content of your skin.

There are several specific causes of vitamin D deficiency. Some of these are:

Medical conditions causing vitamin D deficiency

Some medical conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease, lead to vitamin D deficiency, as their bodies can't absorb the supplement. Obesity with a body mass index above 30 reduces the level of vitamin D and often requires supplementation at higher doses than normal. Kidney and liver diseases also reduce the enzymes necessary for conversion.

Weight-loss surgeries and vitamin D deficiency

Other diseases and conditions, including cystic fibrosis, Crohn's disease, and celiac disease, inhibit the absorption of vitamin D from supplements. The presence of a body mass index higher than 30 causes obesity, leading to low levels of vitamin D, which requires a higher dose of supplements. Diseases that affect the kidneys and liver reduce the production of enzymes necessary to convert vitamin D.

Some medications interfere with vitamin D, including:

Laxatives.
Corticosteroids (such as prednisone).
Cholesterol-lowering medications (such as cholestyramine and colestipol).
Anti-epileptic medications (such as phenobarbital and phenytoin).
Rifampin medication for tuberculosis.
Orlistat weight-loss medication.

Always inform your health care provider of your medications and any supplements and/or herbs you are taking.

How is vitamin D deficiency diagnosed?

Healthcare providers will rarely ask for routine checks of vitamin D levels, but they should check your levels if you have any of the following conditions or risk factors for vitamin D deficiency and/or you are showing symptoms.

Your provider can order a blood test to measure your vitamin D levels. The most commonly ordered test is the 25-hydroxyvitamin D, which is known as 25(OH) D for short.

How is vitamin D deficiency treated?

The treatment and prevention goals of vitamin D deficiency are the same: to achieve and maintain an adequate vitamin D level in the body.

While you may consider increasing your intake of foods rich in vitamin D, increasing your sun exposure, or both, supplements will likely be prescribed by the doctor.

The two types of vitamin D are D2 and D3. D2, called ergocalciferol, is a plant-based version. D3, called cholecalciferol, is an animal-based version. A prescription is necessary to obtain D2, whereas D3 can be purchased over the counter. Your body absorbs D3 easier than D2.

Talk to your health care professional about whether a vitamin supplement is necessary and what dosage, if any, to take.

Who is most vulnerable to a deficiency in vitamin D?

In addition to medical causes of vitamin D deficiency, there are a number of biological and environmental factors that place the person at risk for vitamin D deficiency:

Age: The capacity of the skin to produce vitamin D diminishes with age, placing people aged over 65 years at exceptional risk of having a vitamin D deficiency. Infants are also at risk of having a vitamin D deficiency. This is especially so for those that are exclusively on their mother's breast milk since it contains little amounts of vitamin D.
It is more difficult for darker-skinned people to synthesize vitamin D from sunlight than for lighter skin. The risk of vitamin D deficiency is also greater in darker-skinned people.
Mobility: Those who are housebound or rarely outdoors-for instance, individuals in nursing homes and other institutions-can't depend on sunlight to obtain vitamin D. Therefore, they are at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency.

How can I prevent vitamin D deficiency?

The most effective prevention of vitamin D deficiency is to ensure adequate dietary and/or sun exposure. Just remember not to be out in the sun for too long, as prolonged exposure to the sun increases the likelihood of getting skin cancer.

Here are a few natural sources of vitamin D:

Fatty fish. Salmon, tuna, mackerel, and sardines
Rainbow trout.
Liver from cow.
Mushrooms.
Egg yolk.
Cod liver oil

You also can get vitamin D from fortified food. Be sure to read the nutrition labels to know if the food you are selecting is fortified with vitamin D. Examples of foods most often fortified with vitamin D are:

Orange juice
Breakfast cereals
Other dairy products like yogurt.
Vitamin D is found in many multivitamins. There are also vitamin D supplements.
Cow's milk and soy, almond, and oat milk

If you are concerned about a deficiency in vitamin D, consult your healthcare provider for further advice.

What might be the complications of vitamin D deficiency?

The most severe complications of vitamin D deficiency include the following:

Low calcium level in blood - hypocalcemia.
Low phosphate level in blood - hypophosphatemia.
Rickets -softened bones in childhood.
Osteomalacia-softened bones in adults.

All these conditions can be treated. Although rickets is a treatable and often curable disease, prompt treatment is essential. If not treated, milder cases of rickets can eventually lead to long-term bone damage, where bones do not grow appropriately. Untreated cases can cause seizures, heart damage, and death in severe cases.

The good news is that the disease is extremely rare in the United States, thanks to vitamin D-fortified infant formula and fortified cow's milk.

When should I talk to my health care professional?

If you have questions about whether you are getting enough vitamin D or whether your body is using it effectively, talk to your doctor.

If you have risk factors for vitamin D deficiency, your doctor may have you return for periodic levels of vitamin D in your system to maintain healthy levels.

Why Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital for Vitamin D Deficiency treatment in Lucknow, India?

Tender Palm Super-Speciality Hospital has the most trusted team of Nephrologists with advanced diagnostic equipment care for Vitamin D Deficiency treatment in Lucknow, India. Our Nephrology department follows international safety standards and has years of experience in successfully managing disease and conditions like Vitamin D Deficiency.